national leaders act, and if the more recent bloodshed in aurora, colorado, oak creek, wisconsin, portland, oregon and other towns wasn't enough, perhaps this slaughter of innocence at sandy hook elementary school will at long last be enough. we have made our voices heard and hold washington accountable for facing up to the epidemic of gun violence in our country. if this moment passes into memory without action from washington, it will be a stain upon our nation's commitment to protecting the innocent including our children. this is not a partisan issue. this is just a bunch of people who i think are cowed by the nra. as i said yesterday, do you think the nra has power? just remember the number one priority was to defeat barack obama. last time i checked he will be inaugurated again. >> mayor bloomberg will be live on "morning joe" later this morning. two leading democrats who have

earned high praise from the national rifle association are now rethinking their stance on guns. last night senator mark warner of virginia became the latest to call for action. >> i've been a long-time supporter of second amendment rights. you know, i believe every american has second amendment rights, and the ability to hunt and it's part of our culture. i had an nra rating of an "a." but, you know, enough is enough. my -- i've got -- i'm the father of three daughters. this weekend they all said, dad, how can this go on? and i, like i think most of us, realize that there are ways to get to rationale gun control. there won't be one perfect law that will stop a crazy person from doing evil things. but when we have close to 30,000, you know, killings a year from all types of gun violence, even if we save a few

lives, we make progress. i can answer my daughters with a better answer than i gave them on friday night. >> senator joe manchin of west virginia who once appeared in a campaign ad shooting a rifle, declared it's now time to act during a statement made by "morning joe" host and former congressman joe scarborough. >> i'm a proud nra member, always have been. we need to sit down and move this dialogue to a sensible, reasonable approach. i don't know anyone in the hunting or sporting arena that goes out with an assault rifle. i don't know anyone that needs 30 rounds in the clip to go hunting. millions of people are proud gun people and obey the law. seeing the massacre of so many innocent children, it's changed. it's changed america. >> politicians can no longer be allowed to defend the status quo. they must be forced to defend our children. parents can no longer take no

for an answer from washington when the topic turns to protecting our children. entrenched special interests will try to muddy the cause in the coming days. the cause of this sickening mass shooting like the others is no longer a mystery to commonsense americans. blessedly there are more commonsense americans than there are special interests. even if it doesn't always seem that way. >> i encourage anybody who missed it to go to nbcnews.com to see all of joe's comments. as for the national rival association, the lobbying group has been silent since friday. the nra has since taken down its facebook page, gone quiet on twitter and offered no comment on the shootings. what happened in connecticut did, however, prompt the largest petition on a white house website calling on the administration to immediately address the issue of gun control by introducing new legislation. as for the investigation in newtown, police say the gunman,

20-year-old adam lanza did not leave behind any note describing a possible motive for the attack. so far officials have been unable to obtain information from his commuter's damaged hard drive. pete williams has more on the investigation. >> reporter: the police who found nancy lanza, adam lanza's mother shot to death in bed also found his computer. they say its internal hard drive had been removed and severely damaged. attempts to get information from it, law enforcement officials say, have so far not been successful. experts say though it can be difficult, it's not always impossible. >> i seen people try to damage a hard drive with a sledgehammer, screwdriver, throw it in the river, in most of those cases the forensic experts have been able to recover some data. >> reporter: as for the guns used in the shooting, officials say nancy lanza legally bought them in the past few years. atf agents verified she and her son adam visited shooting

ranges. her friends say so, too. >> she had done this for adam partly to teach him responsibility and to get him out and interacting with people. he took great pride in the fact that he knew how to be safe with the guns and was very responsible with them. >> reporter: police say adam ha lanza was carrying hundreds of rounds of ammunition when he shot out a window to get inside sandy hook elementary, and he shot himself with a handgun only when he saw police coming for him. >> i can tell you the first responders entered that school and saved many human lives. i can tell you it broke our hearts that we couldn't save them all. >> reporter: adam lanza's former teachers and family friends say he struggled with asperger's syndrome, mental health experts say it has no clear link to violence. a psychologist was assigned at his school to protect him, and

he had another disorder, he was insensitive to emotional and physical pain. >> i was asked so many times was he bullied? it's impossible because we all watched him so closely. somewhere after he graduated and went on in this world, sadly enough he lost all that support. >> that was pete williams reporting. we will have more from newtown later in the show. as always, let us know why you are awake, if you have any thoughts you want to share with us. send us an e-mail at waytooearly@msnbc.com. still ahead this morning, president obama makes a counter offer to republicans on the fiscal cliff. the white house giving some ground on taxes, but will it be enough to find a compromise with just two weeks to go until the final deadline? if you want a piece of really good news, we have some for you. about a member of our nbc family. after being kidnapped and held for five days inside syria by an

unknown group, richard engel and his production crew members have been freed unharmed. they are safely out of the country. richard one of the best reporters on the planet, covering stories from egypt to north korea and we are extremely happy to have him and his crew safe. we'll be right back. ♪ i'd like to thank eating right, whole grain, multigrain cheerios! mom, are those my jeans? [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain

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to reduce the risk of an afib-related stroke. there is limited data on how these drugs compare when warfarin is well managed. no routine blood monitoring means bob can spend his extra time however he likes. new zealand! xarelto® is just one pill a day, taken with the evening meal. and with no dietary restrictions, bob can eat the healthy foods he likes. do not stop taking xarelto® rivaroxaban without talking to the doctor who prescribes it for you. stopping may increase your risk of having a stroke. get medical help right away if you develop any signs or symptoms of bleeding, like unusual bruising or tingling. you may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take xarelto® with aspirin products, nsaids or blood thinners. talk to your doctor before taking xarelto® if you currently have abnormal bleeding. xarelto® can cause bleeding, which can be serious, and rarely may lead to death. you are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto®, and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. tell your doctors you are taking xarelto® before any planned medical or dental procedures.

before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions, such as kidney, liver or bleeding problems. ready to change your routine? ask your doctor about once-a-day xarelto®. for more information including cost support options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com. welcome back. let's return to the tragedy in newtown. today residents, students and teachers beginning a new day after the first of the victims of the school shooting were laid to rest. two adults shot at the school on friday did survive and are recovering. danielle leigh has more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. you may be able to make out a christmas tree just behind me. it's marking a memorial that has become the focal point of this

little town. and many students today may drive past it as they head to class as they return to their routines for the first time since this shooting. it will be a reminder in many ways that some things will never be the same. yesterday we had the first two funerals for the victims, those for jack pinto and noah pozner, among the services today, a viewing for the school teacher, vicki soto, who tried to shield her students. it's been amazing to see the support in this community. many turning to picking up the pieces. that said at sandy hook, things in many ways are still on hold. that school is locked down as this investigation continues, possibly for months. even though school officials in the nearby town of monroe say they could have a school ready in about a day, it's unclear when students will return to class. >> that picture of jack pinto from baseball, just never stops to move you.

i did notice on danielle's head there was not a hat orb a hood. let's go to bill karins. i guess maybe it's not raining in connecticut right now, but most of the northeast is wet. >> it was pouring there about an hour ago. traveling up through new england, especially massachusetts from providence northwards up 95 through new hampshire and maine, you will get drenched. it's a wet morning out there. visibility is low. the fog is not as bad as yesterday. in baltimore, the airport was shut down at one point. today's forecast, the heavy rain, hartford northward it will be moving out throughout the day. at least it's warm. you have to feel bad for the ski lovers, the snowmobilers, anyone who has anything do with winter recreation. this has been a miserable start to winter. where winter will be full force, a snowstorm heading from the rockies it will nail areas of nebraska, iowa and wisconsin. it looks to miss chicago. it looks like areas to the north and west of chicago will get

snow. that's tomorrow into thursday. the forecast today will be clearing it out during the morning in new england, the southeast looks just fine. >> unbelievable how warm it is in the northeast. i was hoping for a bit of snow. >> only a week of snow, it's not looking good for a white christmas. >> yeah, and i'm going skiing. there are new signs that the fiscal cliff negotiations are picking up and the two sides may actually be edging closer to compromise. this morning speaker boehner is expected to meet with house republicans to share details of his latest meeting with president obama. the president obama delivering a counter proposal offering to raise tax rates on households earning more than $400,000 a year. that's a step back from the $250,000 dividing line he's been calling for. a few days ago boehner had offered to raise taxes on those earning more than $1 million. people familiar with the latest plan say the president is also willing to reduce increases in social security benefits. however on medicare, the white

house is resisting calls to raise the eligibility age from 65 to 67. the president is also pushing for a two-year extension of the debt ceiling. sad news out of d.c., the second longest serving senator in history, daniel inouye died yesterday. he has represented hawaii in congress ever since it became a state back in 1959. he spent almost 50 years in the senate serving as chairman of the powerful appropriations committee and the senate's president pro-tem making him third in line for succession to the presidency. president obama praised the world war ii veteran and medal of honor recipient calling inouye a true american hero. he lost his arm fighting the germans in 1945. harry reid remembered his colleague yesterday on the senate floor. >> i have never known anyone like dan inouye, no one else

has. the kindness and -- that he has shown me during my time here in the senate has been something i will cherish always. a man who has lived and breathed the senate. if there were ever a patriot, dan inouye was that patriot. >> daniel inouye's staff said his final world was aloha. he is survived by his wife, son and granddaughter. he was 88 years old. republican congressman tim scott will be switching chambers next year becoming the first african-american u.s. senator from the state of south carolina. governor nikki hayley selected scott to replace jim demint who is resigning in january to lead the heritage foundation. mr. scott will be the only african-american in the senate. despite the historic appointment the congressman said he is

focused on getting the job done on government. >> what i never heard on the campaign trail is beside the fact that you're black, or because you're black, here's what we want to do. they asked me questions about values and issues. that's an amazing thing. it speaks to the evolution of south carolina and our nation. it speaks to the heart of the good people of our nation, specifically of our state. i would say this, more importantly than the complexion that i have, i think back to growing up in single-parent household. i would love to speak to the single moms out there and say don't give up on your kids. it may get tough. it may be challenging. but all things are truly possible in this nation. >> the 47-year-old is considered a tea party favorite with a strong conservative voting record. scott will face a special election in 2014 to serve out the final two years of senator demint's term. let's go to the world of business. morgan stanley will pay a $5

million settlement for its role in facebook's troubled ipo. they were fined for violating securities law. let's get a bit more on the world of business with kare karen tso. >> good morning. morgan stanley, as you recall, was a top underwriter for the facebook listing earlier this year. and the securities regulator in massachusetts has accused the company of improperly influencing analysts before that sale. this relates to tduring this tie period facebook had concerns about its revenue outlook. it was saying for the second quarter that numbers would come in at low end of forecasts, between 1.1 billion and 1.2 billion it had forecast. because of this, the reason behind this, they were expecting more facebook users to be

getting to the site through smartphones, and therefore effecteding the ad revenue. a morgan stanley banker organized phone calls with similar interests. t in addition to this the information communicated on the telephone call wasn't filed with the regulator with the u.s. securities authorities on the night it was made. the authorities accused company of not telling all investors all the information. we know there are numerous recriminations after the listing as the shares tanked about 30%, and this is the major settlement that's taken place since then. morgan stanley says they're happy to have the matter behind them, but they have not admitted wrongdoing or anything went wrong with that listing. >> 5 million in some ways chump change for morgan stanley. futures are higher this

morning, also at the top of the hour on "morning joe," in the wake of last week's school shooting the white house prepares to tackle gun violence in american life. the "morning joe" crew will break down the underlying factors and whether there's the political will in washington to address the issue. when we come back here, we'll check in on sports where cy young award winner r.a. ridicke is packing his bags. new prilosec otc wildberry is the same frequent heartburn treatment as prilosec otc. now with a fancy coating that gives you a burst of wildberry flavor. now why make a flavored heartburn pill? because this is america. and we don't just make things you want, we make things you didn't even know you wanted. like a spoon fork. spray cheese. and jeans made out of sweatpants. so grab yourself some new prilosec otc wildberry. [ male announcer ] one pill each morning.

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let's turn to sports now. we do on this day need a little comedy. let's do the jets, right? they're on the road against the titans trying to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. in the fourth quarter, jets down by four. mark sanchez, double coverage, picked off by michael griffin. we'll say his name again. third interception of the night for sanchez. things only got worse for the jets offense from there. let's go two minutes to go in the game. driving inside the titans 30, sanchez pump fakes, throws into triple coverage. this time michael griffin again. another interception for him. fourth interception on the night for sanchez. looked like the jets might not get the ball back, a bad punt gave them the ball again at the

titans 25 with 47 seconds to go. and, well, listen to the call on the first play of the ensuing jets possession. >> the jets at the 25. low snap, kicked around. on the ground, that's the way this game should end! that's the way the jets season should end! ugly and a loss! >> i'm a patriots fan but i feel bad for mark sanchez. the jets are eliminated from playoff contention. sanchez committed five turnovers in the game and has 24 on the season, the most in the nfl. to baseball a deal has been reached to allow the mets to send r.a. dickey to the blue jays. the trade which has been in the works for several days, became official when dickey agreed to a two-year $25 million extension with the blue jays. that's roughly the same amount dickey was originally looking for in his negotiations with the mets. the blue jays also have an option to keep dickey through

the 2016 season. he's 38 years old. in exchange the mets will receive travis darnaud, john buck, and a pair of minor leaguers. to the nba, jeremy lin made his first visit back to madison square garden. is he now with the rockets. lin looked good. hasn't had a great season. cut to the basket, gets the feed, lays it in for the first points of the game. 8 points in the first quarter for lin. second quarter, this hello from tyson chandler. he got a flagrant foul for that. he's chuckling, but that must have hurt. rockets on the break, lin on the defense. he had 28 points on the night. the rockets hand the knicks their first home loss of the season. carmelo anthony did not play in that game for the knicks. still ahead on "way too early," why are you awake? your tweets, texts and e-mails are next. "morning joe" just moments away.

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asked why are you awake? producer dan has a few answers. >> anthony writes i'm so happy to hear richard engel is safe. i want to offer my best wishes to the nbc news team in syria. >> i have to admit, my wife has a little crush on him. she's relieved as well. >> you have another one? >> we were looking at the new elf on a shelf before my son wakes up. >> you can't on the top of the toilet for their kids to see. i don't know how that's going to work out. all right, dan. have a great one. "morning joe" starts right now. since 1994, there have been 70, and these are just school shootings, there have been 70 episodes of school shootings in the united states, since 1994, after the brady bill was passed. president obama was in connecticut last night speaking

to a high school gymnasium as part of a memorial service. he said some things. no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or prevalent every senseless act of violence in our society but that can't be an excuse for inaction. >> right there, i feel better. that can't be excuse for inactions. that means he is committed and going on the recognize, some kind of action. >> good morning, it's tuesday, december 18th. with us, we have mike barnicle, author of "thomas jefferson," willie, joe and me as well. >> that was fascinating, wasn't it? >> that was. that was dead serious. he was not feeling anything else at that point, i think. >> i tell you, yesterday really did touch americans in a way, this whole weekend, and the president's speech and people like joe manchin stepping